The

Archdeacons An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that of m ...

in the

Diocese of Southwark The Diocese of Southwark ( ) is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient ...

are senior clergy in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

and

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. They currently include: the archdeacons of

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, of

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'', and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The ea ...

(formerly of

Kingston-on-Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...

) and of

Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

(formerly of Lewisham), the

Archdeacon of Croydon The Archdeacon of Croydon is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Southwark. As such the deacon is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within its five rural deaneries: Croydon Addington, Croydon Central, C ...

and the archdeacons of

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

and of

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

. Each one has responsibility over a geographical area within the diocese.

History

The Diocese of Southwark was created on 1 May 1905 from two

Diocese of Rochester The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. The cathedral church of the diocese is Rochester Cathedral in the former city of Rochester. The bishop's Latin episcopal si ...

archdeaconries: the archdeaconry of Southwark and the archdeaconry of Kingston-on-Thames. Parts of Surrey (from the dioceses of Winchester and of London) had first been transferred to Rochester diocese on 1 August 1877, and were organised into the Southwark archdeaconry on 3 May 1878. In 1864, the Bishop of Winchester had split the

rural deanery In the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion as well as some Lutheran denominations, a rural dean is a member of clergy who presides over a "rural deanery" (often referred to as a deanery); "ruridecanal" is the corresponding adjective ...

of Southwark into three: Lambeth, Southwark, and Streatham. The Kingston archdeaconry was then created by Order in Council soon after, on 22 August 1879, by splitting the archdeaconry of Southwark: the new Kingston archdeaconry consisted of the rural deaneries of Barnes, Beddington, Godstone, Kingston, Reigate, and Streatham; and the continuing Southwark one those of Battersea, Camberwell, Clapham, Kennington, Lambeth, Newington, and Southwark. Lewisham rural deanery was erected, and other deanery boundaries altered, in early 1886. Not long after the erection of the Diocese of Southwark, the new archdeaconry of Lewisham was created, on 6 March 1906, from part of the Southwark archdeaconry (Camberwell and Dulwich deaneries) and part of the diocese not then in an archdeaconry (Greenwich, Lewisham, and Woolwich deaneries; which had previously been in the Archdeaconry of Rochester). The archdeaconry of Wandsworth was created in 1973, the Croydon archdeaconry (er. 1930) was moved from the

Diocese of Canterbury The Diocese of Canterbury is a Church of England diocese covering East Kent, eastern Kent which was founded by St Augustine of Canterbury in 597. The diocese is centred on Canterbury Cathedral and is the oldest episcopal see, see of the Chur ...

on 1 January 1985. In 1986, the archdeaconry of Reigate was created from a renaming and reorganisation of the previous archdeaconry of Kingston-on-Thames and the archdeaconry of Lambeth was created from Southwark archdeaconry. Lewisham archdeaconry was renamed the Archdeaconry of Lewisham & Greenwich in 2008.

Current composition

, the six archdeaconries of the Diocese of Southwark comprise the following 24 deaneries: *Archdeaconry of Southwark: Deaneries of Bermondsey, of Camberwell, of Dulwich, and of Southwark & Newington *Archdeaconry of Reigate: Deaneries of Tandridge, of Reigate, and of Sutton *Archdeaconry of Lewisham & Greenwich: Deaneries of Charlton, of Deptford, of East Lewisham, of Eltham & Mottingham, of Plumstead, and of West Lewisham *Archdeaconry of Croydon: Deaneries of Croydon Addington, of Croydon Central, of Croydon North, and of Croydon South *Archdeaconry of Wandsworth: Deaneries of Battersea, of Kingston, of Richmond & Barnes, of Tooting, and of Wandsworth *Archdeaconry of Lambeth: Deaneries of Lambeth North, of Lambeth South, and of Merton

List of archdeacons

Archdeacons of Southwark

*1879–1882 (res.): Samuel Cheetham *1882–19 March 1904 (d.): John Richardson *1904–1921 (res.): Samuel Taylor (also

Bishop suffragan of Kingston The Bishop of Kingston (technically of ''Kingston upon Thames'' or, originally, of ''Kingston-on-Thames'') is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The ti ...

from 1915) :''On 1 May 1905, Southwark archdeaconry was moved from Rochester diocese to the newly-created Diocese of Southwark.'' *1922–1926 (res.): Percy Herbert, Bishop suffragan of Kingston *1927–1952 (res.):

Frederick Hawkes Frederick Ochterloney Taylor Hawkes (22 November 187826 January 1966) was the fourth Bishop of Kingston. Hawkes was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford and was ordained in 1903. He became a curate at St Mary's Church, Portsea, and then ...

, Bishop suffragan of Kingston *1952–1955 (res.): William Gilpin, Bishop suffragan of Kingston *1955–1966 (ret.):

Havilland Sands Havilland Hubert Allport Sands (26 March 1896 – 22 March 1970) was the Archdeacon of Southwark from 1955 to 1966. Sands was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Oriel College, Oxford. After World War I service with the Royal Warwic ...

*1967–1973 (res.):

Reginald Bazire Reginald Victor Bazire (30 January 1900 – 20 October 1990) was an Anglican priest: the Archdeacon of Southwark from 1967 to 1973; and of Wandsworth from 1973 to 1975. Bazire was educated at Christ's Hospital. and in 1922 Bazire went to China a ...

*1973–1982 (res.):

Michael Whinney Michael Humphrey Dickens Whinney (8 July 19303 February 2017) was a Church of England bishop who served in two episcopal posts; he was also a great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens. He was born in Chelsea, London on 8 July 1930 and educated at ...

(became

Bishop of Aston The Bishop of Aston is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Birmingham, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after Aston, an area of the City of Birmingham; the See was ere ...

) *1982–1985 (res.): Wilfred Wood (became

Bishop of Croydon The Bishop of Croydon is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The Croydon Archdeaconry was transferred from the Canterbury Diocese to Southwark in 1984. ...

) *1985–2004 (ret.): Douglas Bartles-Smith (afterwards Archdeacon emeritus) *2004–2012 (res.):

Michael Ipgrave Michael Geoffrey Ipgrave (born 18 April 1958) is a British Anglican bishop. Since 2016, he has been the 99th Bishop of Lichfield, the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Lichfield. He was the Bishop of Woolwich, an area bishop in the Diocese o ...

(later

Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of Nort ...

from 2016) *2012–2013 (act.):

Dianna Gwilliams Dianna Lynn Gwilliams DL (born 26 May 1957) is an American-British retired Anglican priest. She served as Dean of Guildford, 2013–2023. Early life and education Gwilliams was born on 26 May 1957 in Colorado, United States. She grew up in ...

(became

Dean of Guildford The Dean of Guildford is the head (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of Guildford Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit'' in Guildfor ...

) *2013–2021 (res.): Jane SteenDiocese of Southwark – New Archdeacons installed
(Accessed 9 June 2013) (became

Bishop of Lynn The Bishop of Lynn is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Norwich, Diocese of Norwich, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the town of Kin ...

) *15 May 2022present: Jonathan Sedgwick (Acting Archdeacon from May 2021 until 30 June 2022)

Archdeacons of Kingston-on-Thames and of Reigate

*1879–1904 (res.):

Charles Burney Charles Burney (7 April 1726 – 12 April 1814) was an English music historian, composer and musician. He was the father of the writers Frances Burney and Sarah Burney, of the explorer James Burney, and of Charles Burney, a classicis ...

*1904–1916 (res.): George Daniell :''The Archdeaconry of Kingston was moved from Rochester diocese to the newly-created Diocese of Southwark on 1 May 1905.'' *1916–1918 (res.): William Hough (became

Bishop of Woolwich The Bishop of Woolwich is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after Woolwich, a suburb of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Two o ...

) *1919–1931 (res.): Robert Joynt *1931–1946 (ret.): George Marten (afterwards Archdeacon emeritus) *1946–1952 (ret.): Nicol Anderson (afterwards Archdeacon emeritus) *1953–28 November 1976 (d.): Percy Robb *1977–1988 (ret.): Bernard Jacob (afterwards Archdeacon emeritus) :''In 1986, the archdeaconry was renamed to Reigate.'' *1988–1995 (ret.): Peter Coombs (afterwards Archdeacon emeritus) *1996–2000 (ret.): Martin Baddeley *2001 – 23 February 2016 (ret.): Danny Kajumba (afterwards Archdeacon emeritus) *April–July 2015 (act.): ''Andrew Cunnington'' *Oct–Dec 2015 (act.): ''John Kronenberg'' *18 December 201520 October 2016 (act.): Jonathan Clark, also

*30 October 2016present: Moira Astin (to become

Bishop of Crediton The Bishop of Crediton is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Crediton in Devon, England. The title was originally used by the Anglo-Saxons in the 10th and 11th centuries for a diocese covering Devon and Cornwall. It is no ...

, 6 July 2025)

Archdeacons of Lewisham and of Lewisham & Greenwich

*1906–3 March 1919 (d.):

Charles Escreet Charles Ernest Escreet (20 February 1852 – 3 March 1919) was an Anglican priest: the Archdeacon of Lewisham from 1906 to 1919. Life Escreet was educated at Tonbridge School and Wadham College, Oxford. He was ordained in 1875 and began his c ...

*1919–1932 (ret.): William Hough, Bishop suffragan of Woolwich *1932–19 July 1936 (d.): Arthur Preston, Bishop suffragan of Woolwich *1936–1947 (res.): Leslie Lang, Bishop suffragan of Woolwich *1947–1955 (res.): Robert Stannard, Bishop suffragan of Woolwich *1955–1960 (res.): Laurie Brown *1960–1972 (ret.): William Hayman *1972–1985 (ret.): Ivor Davies (afterwards Archdeacon emeritus) *1985–1989 (ret.): Clifford Lacey (afterwards Archdeacon emeritus) wartime service RAFVR">2nd_World_War.html" ;"title=". 1 April 1921 – d. 16 February 1997; 2nd World War">wartime service RAFVR; educated at King's College London; Curate, curacies: Crofton Park, Kingston upon Thames; Vicar, incumbencies: Merton, London (parish), Merton, Eltham] *1989–1996 (res.): Gordon Kuhrt (afterwards Archdeacon emeritus) *1996–2001 (res.): David Atkinson *September 2001–30 November 2012 (ret.):

Christine Hardman Christine Elizabeth Hardman ( Atkins; born 27 August 1951) is a retired British Anglican bishop and former Lord Spiritual. She served as Archdeacon of Lewisham, 2001–2008; Archdeacon of Lewisham & Greenwich, 2008–2012; and Bishop of N ...

(afterwards Archdeacon emeritus) :''In 2008, the archdeaconry was renamed Lewisham & Greenwich.'' *14 April 2013–3 July 2024 (res.): Alastair Cutting (became

Area Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...

) *20 September 2024present: Chigor Chike

Archdeacons of Croydon

Archdeacons of Wandsworth

*1973–1975 (ret.): Reginald Bazire *1975–1988 (res.): Peter Coombs *1989–2004 (ret.):

David Gerrard David Francis Gerrard (born 3 April 1945 in Auckland) is a sports administrator, sports medicine specialist, and former Olympic Games swimming representative from New Zealand. Swimming career As a competitive swimmer, Gerrard was a specialis ...

(afterwards Archdeacon emeritus) *2004–September 2015 (res.): Stephen Roberts *22 July–22 November 2015 (act.): ''Tim Marwood'' *22 November 2015–2025 (ret.): John KiddleDiocese of Southwark — New faces in Southwark
(Accessed 27 November 2015) **2025 (elect): Bridget Shepherd

Archdeacons of Lambeth

*1986–1988 (ret.): Charles Pinder (afterwards Archdeacon emeritus) *1988–1999 (res.):

Dick Bird Colin Richard Bateman Bird was an Anglican priest in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He was born on 31 March 1933, educated at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and ordained in 1958. His first posts were curacies at St Mark's Cathedral, Geo ...

*2000–2003 (res.): Nick Baines (became

) *2004–14 April 2013 (res.): Chris Skilton *2013–present: Simon GatesDiocese of Southwark – New Archdeacon of Lambeth
**2018 (act.): David Stephenson

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Southwark, Archdeacons in the Diocese of Lists of Anglicans Lists of English people